Furniture



A. M BANK Oct. 10, 1933.

FURNITURE Filed April'y 131933 INVENTOR.

'metal sleeve 51a disposed about the end of the there is provided a belt', strap or iiexible member attached at one end 51 thereof to the board 15, in any suitable manner and extending within the groove or channel formed in the ring 35. The belt 56 passes around the top of said ring and the other end 56' thereof is attached to the upper end of a coil tension spring 57. The lower end of the spring 5'7 may be attached to an eyelet screw 58 slidably extending through an opening 60 in the horizontal board 19. A wing nut 61screwed to the screw 58 may be turned for adjusting the tension of the spring 57. The belt 50 thus frictionally grips and engages the ring 35 so that as the seat moves upwardly under the influence of the spring 41, the friction between the belt and the ring retards movement of the chair back and permits the chair to swing gradually into substantially vertical position, without any jerking movement. The belt 50 may be in the form of a stranded metal rope, or of any other suitable construction.

' For the purpose of illustration, however, the belt 50 is shown in the drawing as made of leather,` and the ends 51 and 56 thereof may each be.

provided with a U-shaped wire 50a having arms of unequal length receiving an end portion of the strap therebetween and extending longitudinally of said end portion. Said arms are formed with pronged end portions 50h embedded inwardly into the leather. A clip in the form of a d strap and about the wire serves tohold the wire 50a in place. It will be noted that the wire 50a l forms a loop 52a for receiving either the fastener on the board, 15 at one end 51 or the upper end of the spring 5'l'at the other end 56. d

It will be noted that the frictionon the iiangel ring is less when the chair back swings to reclining position than when it swings upwardly,

since the swinging movement of the chair back 22 in a counterclockwise direction, looking at Fig. 1 of the drawing, is accompanied by a slight stretching of the spring 57. However, a clockwise swinging movement of the chair back, looking at Fig. 1, causes a pull of the belt 50 on its anchored end 51 without any give whereby sufficiently strong frictional action `is accomplished to permit only a gradual rise of the chair back. 'Ihe spring 57 is smaller than spring 41 to ensure movement of the chair back 22 to upright position under the influence of said spring 41 and to prevent any positive stopping of the chair back until the same reaches the normal vertical position thereof.

In Figs. 4 and 5 there is shown a modified form of friction retarding device. As illustrated in said drawing.. there is attached to the bar 30 a wheel 63 having a central hub 62 receiving the rod 20 therethrough. At the outer periphery of f the disc 63 is a portion 35a of substantially semicircular or grooved cross-sectional shape. The wheel 63 may be attached to the bar 30 and to' the side wall 24 of the chair back 22 by means of screws 32. Attached to the vertical board 15 of the chair supporting structure, is one end of an elongated metal band or strip 65. The opposite end of the band 65 may be provided with an opening receiving the upper end of a spring 57. Attached to the inner surface of the band 65 is a friction element 66 preferably snugly received within the groove of the portion 35a. The metal band 65 may be formed with prongs 67 stamped from the metal thereof and digging into the friction element 66. The ends of the leather band 66 may be fastened to the band 65 by ineans of rivets 68 or in any other suitable manner. The` Aherein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention. I claim as' new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 1. In a chair, a supporting structure, a chair back pivotally attached thereto, a curved member attached to said chair back and disposed concentrically with respect to the axis of pivotal movement, and a flexible member disposed about and frictionally engaging said curved member. 2. In a chair, a supporting structure, a chair back pivotally attached thereto, a curved `member attached -to said chair back and disposed concentrically with respect to the axis of pivotal movement, and a flexible member disposed about and frictionally engaging said curved member, and resilient means for swinging` said chair back in one direction.

3. In a chair, a supporting structure, a chair back pivoted thereto, a bar attached to said chair back, a springA attached at one end thereof to said supporting structure and at the other end thereof to said bar, an annular grooved member attached to said chair and disposed c'oncentrically of the pivotal axis for said chair back, and a exible member disposed about and frictionally engaging said grooved member and having the ends thereof connected to said supporting structure.

4. A chair comprising a supporting structure, a chair back pivotally attached thereto and movable to reclining position, a curved member attached to said chair back and disposed concentrically of the` pivotal axis for said chair back, a friction member disposed about said curved member and having one end thereof fixed to said supporting structure, a coil ltension spring attached to the other end of said friction member, and means for attaching said springs to said supporting structure.

5. A chair comprising a supporting structure,

a chair back pivotally attached thereto and movable to reclining position, a curved member attached to said chair back, and disposed concentrically of the pivotal axis for said chair back,

a flexible member disposed about said curved member and having one end thereof fixed to said supporting structure, a coil tension spring attached to the other end of said flexible member, and means for attaching said spring to `said supporting structure, said last named means including means for adjusting the tension of said spring. I

6. A chair comprising a supporting structure,

' a chair back pivotally attached thereto and movii. L., 3

iso l spring to said supporting structure on the other side of said pivot during the normal range of movement of said chair back, and a coil tension spring attached at one end thereof to said supporting structure and at the other end thereof to said chair back.

7. A reclining chair comprising a supporting structure, a horizontal rod extending through said supporting structure, a chair back pivoted adjacent the bottom end thereof to said rod, a bar attached to the sides of said chair back and receiving said rod therethrough, and a pair of coil springs attached atthe upper ends thereof to the ends of said bars and at the lower ends thereof to said supporting structure, an annular ring of U-shaped cross-section attached to each bar and disposed concentrically of said rod, and a flexible member attached at one end thereof to said supporting structure and extending Within the groove of said annular member, the other end of said flexible member being connected by a spring to said supporting structure.

8. In a chair, a supporting structure, a chair back pivotally attached thereto, a curved member attached to said chair back, and a exible member disposed about and frictionally engaging said curved member and having its ends secured to said supporting structure on opposite sides of said pivot during the normal range of movement of said chair back.

9. In a chair, a supporting structure, a chair back pivotally attached thereto, a curved member attached to said chair back, and a exible member disposed about and frictionally engaging said curved member and having its ends secured to said supporting structure on opposite sides of said pivot during the normal rangev of movement of said chair back, and resilient means for swinging said chair back in one direction.

I0. A reclining chair comprising a supporting structure', a chair back pivoted to said supporting structure, a curved member xed to said chair back, a metallic band attached at oneend thereof to said supporting structure on one side of said pivot during the normal range of movement of said chair back and at the other end thereof to one end of a spring, means for connecting the other end of said spring to said supporting structure on the other side of said pivot during the normal range of movement of said chair back, and a friction element attached to the inner side vof the band and frictionally engaging -said curved member.

11. A reclining chair comprising a supporting structure, a chair back pivoted to said structure, a metallic disc having a grooved portion at the outer periphery thereof iixed to vsaid chair baci: and disposed concentrically of the pivotal axis ioi said chair back, and a friction element attached to said supporting structure and engaging Within the groove of said periphery.

12. A lreclining chair comprising a supporting structure, a chair back pivoted thereto, a curved member xed to said chair back and disposed concentrically of the pivotal axis for said chair back, a strap disposed about said curved member, a U-shaped Wire having arms of unequal length receiving one end portion of the strap therebetween, and extending longitudinally of said portion, the ends of said wire extending inwardly into said strap, and a clip disposed about the end of said strap and about the arms of said U-shaped wire, said U-shaped wire forming aI loop, and a member attached to said supporting structure engaging said loop.

ALBERT M. BANK. 

